The consumption of milk, and more generally of all dairy products, interferes with the intestinal absorption of some antibiotics, limiting their effectiveness.
To avoid, in particular, the association between dairy products and tetracycline (antibiotics now less used in therapy for drug-resistance problems); these drugs have chelating activity, that is, they bind tenaciously to calcium (but also to iron and magnesium), including that present in bones and teeth. For this reason, if taken during pregnancy or infancy, tetracyclines can cause problems with bone malformations and yellowing of the child's teeth. The problem also arises for ice cream and fortified foods enriched with calcium, magnesium and / or iron, and for the supplements that contain them.
As for the antibiotic ciprofloxacin, it is advisable not to take it together with dairy products (such as milk and yogurt) or calcium-enriched fruit juices individually; however ciprofloxacin can be taken during a meal of several foods that also contains dairy products.
Milk, on the other hand, is advisable in patients treated with lithium-based antipsychotics for the treatment of bipolar disorder; in this case the association is positive because it reduces the frequency of gastric disorders. Even in NSAID users, it is recommended to take these drugs on a full stomach or with milk to reduce the gastrolesive effect.
As regards soy milk, on the other hand, a possible risk of reducing the anticoagulant activity of warfarin has been reported, with a consequent increase in the risk of thrombosis.
